'Sunday Morning' comes down again

Preview

Orlando favorite Thomas Wynn will be among the acts performing… (Michael Kilayko )

March 28, 2013|Jim Abbott, SOUNDBOARD

Ever since 104.1 FM (WTKS) canceled his roots-music weekend radio show "Sunday Morning Coming Down" in 2010, Orlando singer-songwriter Joseph Martens has been considering the possibility of taking the concept into the concert realm.

On April 7, the idea becomes reality in the form of the inaugural "Sunday Morning Coming Down Picnic Jam," a 10-hour marathon to showcase two dozen Orlando acts on the lawn behind the Mennello Museum of American Art in Loch Haven Park.

If that sounds like an intimidating project, it is — even for the guy who envisioned it and has a track record of organizing nearly a decade's worth of successful John Lennon holiday tribute concerts.

"I'm a little nervous to be honest with you," says Martens, who admits that isn't unusual. "Every Lennon tribute I've done, I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew. Fortunately, all the people involved are really easygoing. If everybody is flexible and relaxed going into it, that makes for an easy, low-key, productive event. You can't do something like this with an uptight group of people."

Like the defunct radio show that inspired it, the concert will focus on a combination of traditional country music as well as traditional folk, contemporary alt-country and genre-blending Americana styles. Performers will tackle material by everyone from Johnny Cash to Wilco and offer originals that fit into the mix.

A lot of Martens' musical friends were available, as it turns out, because Sunday afternoon is generally a slow day for working musicians. But for Martens, April 7 is one of only two Sundays all year that he's not playing a standing gig at the Orlando Farmer's Market.

"I took it as a sign from the universe that this should happen twice a year, since I have two Sundays off from the farmers market," Martens says. "Who doesn't love going outside on a spring day?"

Proceeds from the event will go toward Heartstrings Music, an organization that aims to connect performers with the elderly, terminally ill or others in need of music's healing power in a system that also offers monetary compensation for the musicians.

Martens has been meeting with members of Orlando's Urban Think Foundation for advice on establishing the Heartstrings business model. "They have helped me in looking at the logistical side and solidifying it," he says. "Making sure we're moving in the right direction with the business profile, so we can attract larger businesses that might be interested in supporting it."

Meanwhile, Martens is heartened by the support that he has received.

"Every time I'd go out and play somewhere, somebody would come up and say, 'What happened to your radio show?' It's nice to know that there were people out there who appreciated it."